Pakistan’s textile exports sustained the slowdown in Chinese appetite for yarn and fabric in January with its value-added sector making up greatly the slack in China with increasing exports to European Union on the back of the GSP Plus status. “Even fabric exports – basic textile – registered an increase of 3.7 percent from $203.29 million in January 2013 to $210.81 million in January 2014,” said SM Tanveer, chairman of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) Punjab. It is worth no

Tannery owners are set to start relocating hazardous factories from Hazaribagh in Dhaka to Savar by the end of March. “At least 25 companies will be the first to begin constructing factories in Savar,” said M Abu Taher, chairman of Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather Goods and Footwear Exporters' Association. Tanners have decided to start the relocation taking the environmental issues into consideration and hoping to boost exports, he told The Daily Star by phone yesterday. Taher made

Full of passion and hand gestures, Mastaeem Billah Chowdhury was articulating the merits of the fire extinguishing system that his company is displaying at the International Trade Expo for Building and Fire Safety at Sonargaon Hotel. “This is the most efficient and reliable solution out there,” said the UK-educated electrical engineer to the handful of visitors at his stall. Chowdhury, who is the managing director of Re-Green Bangla Industries, assured the visitors, most of whom were garme

Labor unions and garment factory owners gave opposing reports of the scale of an overtime boycott that began Monday as the first phase of a nationwide labor strike planned for next month. Union leaders estimated that workers refused to work overtime at between 100 and 200 factories, while the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) said that “very, very few” of the country’s more than 400 factories were affected by the industrial action. Garment workers leave factories a

Kyrgyz women work in a newly opened garment factory February 8 in Osh. Women in the south are reviving the garment industry. [Bakyt Ibraimov] Garment making might become a road to prosperity for women in southern Kyrgyzstan. Osh women in early February opened up a garment factory to address two problems. The "For Sweet Moms" factory sews clothing for pregnant women and newborns and employs over 50 women. Trying to find clothes Altynai Urkunbayeva, the founder of the factory, said

Succumbing to pressure from industrial tycoons, the government decided on Wednesday to restore supply of natural gas to textile units, even though about 2,000MW capacity remained idle at power plants due to gas loadshedding. The decision was taken at a meeting presided over by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar a day after the Pakistan Textile Exporters Association launched a media campaign for diversion of additional gas to the sector. The meeting, also attended by Minister for Petroleum and Na

Business community expressed deep concern over indication that the government contemplating to increase Sales Tax (ST) rate on textile and leather industries from two percent to 5 percent in the first phase and 17 percent in next three years. They are opposing increase in the rate of sales tax and said the cost of doing business in Pakistan is going up day by day and Pakistani exporters are not getting a level playing field and may fail to get desired benefit of GSP Plus status. They emphasi

Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) has demanded zero rated sales tax facility as it will help to restore the competitive edge in international markets for Pakistani textiles and will act to increase the exports of the country and strengthen the national economy. Talking to newsmen, Sheikh Ilyas Mahmood, Chairman and Adil Tahir, Vice Chairman PTEA said that zero-rating withdrawal has adversely affected exports at a time when huge amount of Sales Tax Refunds are already stuck up wit

“Indian textile companies need to go vertical and also set-up large scale apparel manufacturing plants, if India wants to increase its market share in the global textile trade”, Mr Sanjay Lalbhai, doyen of the Indian textile industry and CMD of Arvind Ltd informed delegates at a conference held in Ahmedabad. The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) recently held a conference in Ahmedabad titled - Textile Investment Conclave 2014, which sought to attract investments in the Gujarat

Cambodian Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Keat Chhon on Wednesday met with a delegation representing 30 global brands and global trade unions to discuss the current situation of garment sector. The delegation comprised 27 global brands including H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB, Gap Inc., Adidas, Puma, Levi Strauss and Co., American Eagle Outfitters, Inditex and three global trade unions, said a press statement from the Cambodian side. The meeting was called by the Cambodian government in r